droug-hton



(No Model.)

l 2 sheets-sheen 1f JfJ. DROUGHTON.

GONGENTRATOR. No. 383,284.

lPaelltd May 22, 1888..

2 sheets-'sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. J. DROUGHTON. GONGENTRATOR.

'Na 383,284. Patented May 22, 1888.

III

INVENTUB:

N. PETERS. Phote-Lilhugmphar.-washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEieE.

JOHN J. DROUGHTON, OF EAST NEW'ARK, NEWv JERSEY.

CONCENTRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,284, dated May 22, 1888.

Application filed July 8, 1886. Serial No. 207,425. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN J. DRoUenToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Newark, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concentrators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object the more perfect separation of precious metals-such as gold or platinumfrom alluvial matter or ground quartz through the agency of water under motion, and the accomplishment of this result with greater facility andata reduced eX- penditure of power.

The invention consists in the construction and combinations of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the two sheets, Figure 1, Sheet l, is a rear elevation of the machine, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the same.r Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a plan of a concentrating-pan. Fig. 4. is a section of the same, taken through line m, showtherein; and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of said pan. Figs. G, 7, and 8 illustrate certain modifications in construction of the pan which will be duly explained, Fig. 7 being aseetion taken on line y, and Fig. 8 a section through line a, Fig. 6.

In said drawings, A A designate a frame, preferably of wood; B, a concentrating-pan suspended or supported therein,and C ahopper or suitable receptacle for the auriferous sand and gravel or ground quartz, which is so arranged as to feed the same to the concentrating-pan gradually and uniformly or in limited quantities in quick succession, the said hopper being arranged above said pan to allow said sand or gravel to gravitate into said pan automatically.

ing more clearly certain wings or fans secured D is a pump having two open cylinders, D' D2, which are soldered or otherwise connected to a chute, E, preferably of copper, which allows the water to iiow in a constant stream to the concentrating-pan B, the water passing into the pan at one end or side thereof and flowing across the face thereof and flowing from the pan at the opposite side. The quartz or gravel is also fed into the pan with the water, and is washed by the water, so that it also passes off at the opposite side, depositing the greater portion of the gold in its course. Said pan B is preferably carried by rods F F2 F3, which are preferably hooked into the pan, as at c at c, and to suitable hooks, bolts, staples, or eyes, b b2 L, of the frame, which are capable of being raised or lowered by adjusting nuts or devices d* d4 on the threaded ends of said parts b b2 b3, so that the operator may be enabled to raise or lower the concentratingpan at will. Thus suspended, reciprocating motion may be given to the concentrating-pan as follows: A lever, G, fulcrumed, as at li, to a standard or iixture, H, has pivoted thereto, as at g g2, connecting-rods l lt", which operate the valves of the respective cylinders of the pump D. A connectingrod, K, is pivoted to the lever G at k and to a gear-wheel, L, at c', motion from the lever being thus transmitted to said gear-wheel, which in turn transmits motion to the pinion L', a rod or arm, M, pivotally secured thereto, as at c', arms M M2, and a shaft, N, the latter adapted to reciprocate in bearings on the frame A. Said shaft N is provided with arms N N2, which are pivotally connected with rods O' O2. These lat ter are movably secured to the concentratingpan B, as at l P2, and give said pan :a reciprocating movement. The motion of the pau is at right angles to the direction of flow of the water, so that the latter is prevented from having a direct or straight iiow from the pan, but is given a lateral wash or sweep back and forth as it slowly moves toward its exit.

In order to regulate the movement of the pau B, the handle G may be provided with a series of pin-holes, k ir, so as to change the leverage of the connectingrod K.

The arm M is secured, as at R, to a suitable slide, S, of any wellknown construction,

lof

ling provided with stops or arresters w.

adapted to open and close the bottom or base of the hopper alternately by means of the reciprocating movement of the slide produced through the medium of the parts M', M, L, L, K, and G. The amount of sand and gravel admitted to the portable accumulating-box T, Figs. 3 and 4, in the pan B, is thus regulated and controlled.

The concentrating-pan B is provided with vertical stops or arresters fw, which may be either soldered or riveted or otherwise formed or affixed to the bottom of said pan, as in Fig. 4, or they may be pivotally secured to crosspieees W of an independent frame, W, as indicated in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the wings in the latter case preferably being prevented from being broken or bent when struck or striking a stone by moving on the pivots. Springs w serve or may serve to hold the movable plates in a proper normal position. Said wings, stops, or arresters are disposed on the bottom of the concentrating-pan in lines parallel or approximately parallel with the direction of iiow of the water .from the inlet to the outlet, so that as the water sweeps laterally under the influence of the laterally-reciprocating pan it is broken up into a large number of eddies at the edges of the said wings, stops, or arresters. At said edges, or at least one of thempreferably the ones nearer the inlet of the water-are formed in the bottom of the pan the depressions p, which are preferably slightly oblong in the direction of the lateral sweep of the water. Said depressions are thus beneath the eddies produced by the laterally-moving water washing against the wings, stops, or arresters, and are effective in catching the gold separated by the peculiar movement of the water from its ore. It will be observed that while the water passes slowly through the pan the same is kept in very thorough and peculiar agitation, so that the gold is allowed to settle before the ore is swept from the pan.

I am aware that reciprocating pans, pumps for supplying the same with water, means for operating the two simultaneously, and irregu lar or pocketed bottoms for the concentratingpans are not broadly new in connection with concentrators, and I do not claim the same, broadly, herein.

At one end of the concentrating-pan B is a small compartment formed by a partition or wall, T', and theend T2 of said pan,to receive a portable accumulating-box, T, said box be- The other end, T, of the said pan is provided with a slide, T4, said slide being provided with perforations e' z', Fig. 5, corresponding with similar perforations, fit", in the end of the pan. This slide, by being provided with a screw and hand-wheel, U, or similar mechanism, is adapted to be adjusted so as to regulate and control the How of water through or from the concentrating pan. All detritus passing through the said openings di falls into a receiver or amalgamating-pan, V, preferably of wood or cast-iron, having therein a thin film of mercury, with which any fine gold which may have been washed through the pan may amalgamate.

The concentrating or separating pan B is provided with depressions p pand grooves rr for the heavy settlings, the latter, r r, being provided at one end with discharge-openings, which are closed by Stoppers or plugs 1 q.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows: When the lever G of the pump is worked reeiprocally upward and downward, the slide S of the hopper opens and closes the openings in the base thereof, and the sand, gravel, or ground matter bearing the precious metal is fed into the accumulating-box T.' By the same movement of the lever, water from the pump flows from the cylinders D D2 over the chute E and into the said accumulating-box, T, and from thence into the concentrating-pan B, and out through the openings in the slide into the receiver V. During these operations a reciprocating movement of the concentrating-pan is kept up by means of the lever G and the system of arms, rods, and gear-wheels, so that the water and metalbearing matter is thoroughly mixed, the stops or arresters preventing a direct movement of the water, but breaking it up into eddies, so that the gold has sufficient opportunity to settle. Before the sand and water enter the larger chamber of the pan B they are thoroughly mixed in the portable box or pan Tby the stops or arresters w', the heavier particles or grains of metal settling therein, while the lighter particles are washed into the larger chamber through the aperture beneath the partition T. This said box or pan T may be removed with its settlings without disturbing the other parts of the device. The water in the amalgamating-pan Vis also agitated by wings wz, depending from and moving with the pan B. By these wings the fine float or flour gold is brought more certainly into contact with the mercury. To remove the set tlings the concentrating-pan is slightly tilt'ed by drawing upward the 'hook holding the rod F2, the plugs q q are drawn from the grooves 7 r, and thc metal is washed into a suitable receiver.

In the device thus described I have provided means that may be easily operated by a single workman at but a slight expense and under conditions that would otherwise require a large outlayin preparing for the washing or concentrating process. As I am able to make the machine of very light material, I can place the same on a wagon provided with a watertank supplied with water, and when at the diggings or other point at which the sand, gravel, or ground ore is found I can in the washing or concentrating process pump the water from the tank, and after having used it lead it again to the tank. Thus where water is scarce I am enabled to use my machine with great economy.

I am aware that many changes may be made in the construction of the machine without de- IOC IZO

parting from the spirit or scope of the inven tion. lIhe pan, for example, may, with suitable modifications as respects its size and shape, be employed in hand-washing in the ordinary manner- Having thus describod tl1einvention,wl1at I claim as new is* l. In a coucentratory the combination of a reciprocating pan having stops or arresters and depressions or pockets and grooves p and i, a pump, and a hopper, arranged and oper ating substantially as and for Athe purposes set forth.

2. In a concentrator, the combination of a reciprocating pan having a pocketed or recessed bottom, and stops or arrcsters arranged laterally adjacent to the pockets therein, to produce a whirl or eddy over the pockets, substantially as set forth, and a pump for providing said pan with Water, and a lever connected with said pump and pan for actuating the two simultaneously.

3. In a coneentrator, the combination of the reciprocating pan having wings wzand an amalgamating-pan receiving said wings, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In combination, a concentrating-pan, reciprocating water and ore supply devices disposed at one end of said pan, exits for Water and washed ore disposed at the opposite end, the bottom of said pan being provided with a series of pockets or recesses and stops, arresters, or Wings disposed on or above said bottom laterally adjacent to said pockets at right angles to the line or direction of motion of said pan, whereby an eddy is produced directly over each of the said pockets, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingIhave hereunto set my hand this 9th day ot' June, 1886.

JOHN J. DROUGI-ITON.

Witnesses:

OLIVER BRAKE, CHARLES H. PELL. 

